Are MOOCs the Future of General Education?

Abstract

Abstract General education is at the forefront of the challenges facing faculty and administrators as they develop initiatives to address the nationwide trend focused on college completion programs. Attempts to trim core requirements and shift courses to online environments could be one answer for providing greater course access, for improving enrollments, and for increasing completion rates; however, choosing appropriate online environments needs careful planning and implementation. Massive open online courses have been promoted as one possible online model. Based on the author’s experience of teaching first-year writing as a massive open online course, this article offers observations, reflections, and suggestions for considering the application of innovative technologies in general education courses.